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Pausanias calls Ladas the swiftest runner of this time. His statue was placed in the temple of Apollo Lycius in Argos (Paus. 2.19.7). Hence, his alleged place of origin. Pausanias saw his tomb in Sparta, where he allegedly died immediately after his Olympic victory (3.12.1). Along the road from Mantinea to Orchomenos, there was a stadion of Ladas, where he would have trained (8.12.5).
Despite Ladas' fame as apparent in the numerous references in Latin authors, we only know about one of his victories, the Olympic one in the dolichos (Paus. 3.21.1). The bronze statue of Ladas was made by Miron (Anth. Pal. IV. 53-54). This gives an approximate date: Moretti (1957, no. 260) suggests either the 80th (= 460 BC), 81st (= 456 BC) or after the 84th Olympiad (444 BC). He favours the 80th Olympiad. Dating his victory to the 5th century BC seems to be the safest option.
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